This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 101 44 211.4 filed on Sep. 8, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a device for use with a carding machine for cleaning and opening textile fiber material such as, for example, cotton, synthetic fibers, and the like. The device comprises a rotating clothing or wire needle cylinder surrounded by a housing. The cylinder is located downstream of a feeding device and is provided with at least one opening for removing impurities such as trash particles, leaf rests, seed husks, stem rests, sand, and the like. At least one separating knife is arranged near the clothing or the wire needles of the cylinder such that a knife edge of the separating knife is directed counter to the rotational direction of the cylinder. The knife edge is positioned at a downstream end of the opening, in the rotational direction of the cylinder.
German Patent No. 39 08 834 discloses a device of this type, in which the fiber material collects around the edge of the separating knife. A nep or burl of the fiber material is thicker than the fiber bat on the roller and is pushed onto the knife. This collection of material is known as a xe2x80x9cfiber beardxe2x80x9d. The fiber beard remains only briefly on the edge of the knife. The neps, burls and husks often slip off of the knife edge, slip through under the knife and follow the cylinder clothing.
It is an object of the invention to create a device of the aforementioned type that avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and, in particular, permits a lasting and improved removal of the neps, burls and/or husks.
Particular embodiments of the invention provide a fiber cleaning device for use with a carding machine having a rotating clothing cylinder, a housing surrounding the cylinder, and an opening in the housing for removing impurities. The device has a separating knife with a knife edge for locating in the opening and directed counter to a rotational direction of the cylinder, and a pressure regulating element installed downstream, in the rotational direction of the cylinder, of the separating knife. The pressure regulating element is for adjusting a pressure between the housing and the cylinder such that fiber material accumulation on the knife edge is promoted.
Due to an increase in the air pressure downstream of the edge of the knife, as seen in the rotational direction of the cylinder, more neps are removed at the edge of the knife. More fibers fit themselves around the knife edge and the neps (the thickened and knotted sections) also fit themselves more clearly around the edge of the knife. A type of fiber beard or xe2x80x9cbow wavexe2x80x9d is created in front of or on the knife edge. It is preferable if the neps, burls, and husks are positioned on the side of the knife edge opposite the cylinder clothing. The accumulated neps, burls, and husks are thus prevented from again slipping through under the knife and following the cylinder clothing. The foreign bodies (neps, burls, and husks) accumulated and concentrated in this way can then be removed by, for example, suctioning.
Other embodiments of the invention provide a carding machine. The carding machine has a rotating clothing cylinder, a housing surrounding the cylinder, an opening in the housing for removing impurities, a fiber cleaning device, and a traveling flat having a flat bar. The flat bar has a pressure increasing element that increases a pressure upstream, in the rotational direction of cylinder, of the opening. The fiber cleaning device has a separating knife with a knife edge located in the opening and directed counter to a rotational direction of the cylinder. The fiber cleaning device also has a pressure regulating element installed downstream, in the rotational direction of the cylinder, of the separating knife. The pressure regulating element adjusts a pressure between the housing and the cylinder such that fiber material accumulation on the knife edge is promoted.